You can download the 'windows xp setup disks' if you have a floppy drive on that computer from here http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=E8FE6868-6E4F-471C-B455-BD5AFEE126D8&displaylang=en

or you can install an older version of windows that WILL run from DOS like win98, or winme, and then install your XP afterwards.

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Sounds like you may have purchased a "Windows 7 upgrade" (whatever version Home/Pro,) version....

now that win7 is on it, you can boot from the CD, choose the "repair my computer" option, then choose the Advanced Startup repair options....and you can use the command window to re-format, or delete the partition and and re-format the drive....then start-over with a clean disk.

You don't have to replace the hard drive if it still works. You can reformat it by doing a clean install of windows. It's relatively easy. Just go to your cmos, tell your computer to boot from cd, put your windows cd in your drive. Boot to the windows install cd and follow the instructions and answer the questions on the screen. Good luck and let me know if you need anything else.

make sure when you load up off of the windows cd that you allow the operating system to wipe out the hard drive and then after that let it install. This way you make sure the hard drive is cleared out off all viruses and it can install without anything interfering.

If you did this and it still is coming up with a dll file missing then I would suggest trying another hard drive in the computer cause that means your hard drive has bad sectors on it.

If you use the recovery disc provided by the manufacturer, it will re-install OS, drivers also the pre-installed softwares which comes along when youget a new computer. make sure u backup the data first.
The recover disc is like a ghost or image copy.
This should work. Everything would be loaded in the recovery disc.

You probably need an OEM version of XP...not that IBM version. If you buy an OEM version, you can use it many computers. A real XP disc will partition, format, and delete partitions on any functioning Hard drive. Don't buy a recovery disc, please. That just sounds WRONG.

A cheaper solution might be a new Hard Drive...but I don't trust your IBM version of XP.